Sixers’ small-forward plans, small-ball lineups, ranking the bench and more

While the NBA never stops (looking at you, Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell), we are finally back on the normal league calendar and that means late July and August are officially the offseason. In honor of the slow period, we’re rolling out a Philadelphia 76ers mailbag in a few installments. Let’s dive right in.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. As a reminder, if I don’t get to your question here, I will eventually get to it here.

(Editor’s note: Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and style.)

What are the Sixers’ plans for the small forward position? Are they content with what they have or are they planning more trades? — LC H.

Perhaps not “content,” but certainly willing to move into the season with this group if no additional trade materializes.

You bring up a reasonable question here, as the projected starting five is an odd mix positionally. P.J. Tucker is nominally a 4. As I wrote after watching a lot of his postseason video from the past two seasons, he tends to match up better against bigger wings. One issue: That has been Tobias Harris’ role the past few seasons after the spacing catastrophe of 2019-20 was fixed.

I wonder how this mix will work on the defensive end. Using BBall Index’s versatility tool, which uses tracking data to estimate how often players spend guarding different positions, Harris was used a bit differently the past two seasons after playing in the supersized lineup in 2019-20. The third category is the Sixers’ defensive rating with Harris on the floor, per Cleaning The Glass.

The players around Harris matter. Last season, the Sixers’ depth was depleted and playing up a position didn’t necessarily mean better results. But with Tucker likely taking on the tougher one-on-one matchups and having less versatility than the 2020-21 version of Ben Simmons, my guess is that we will see Harris defend smaller players a bit more.

Offensively, I don’t see as many issues. Tucker is going to play a low-usage role and shoot a bunch of corner 3s, which is exactly what Danny Green has done for the past two seasons. With the Sixers’ off-the-dribble creation in the backcourt and a better, more refined Joel Embiid than we saw in 2019-20, that fit should prove to be workable enough.

Off the bench, I expect the Sixers to roll with Danuel House Jr. and Matisse Thybulle at small forward if this current iteration holds. De’Anthony Melton is another option but that isn’t something he has done much of in his career. Those two players offer switchability on the defensive end, but if you had to pick one spot, they’re 3s.

So that feels like a decent amount of depth at the 3. Unless there is a major injury or Tucker falls off a cliff, I don’t consider the Sixers to have a hole at that spot. Where Thybulle’s inability to stay on the floor proved disastrous last season, it feels like this revamped roster offers more protection against that scenario. I’m guessing that this will be the roster on opening day, but if there is a move in the coming weeks, Thybulle has always been one of the logical names to move. Speaking of that …

The Sixers seriously need to upgrade the backup center position and get a legit sixth man to be a viable contender. What kind of cap room do they have remaining to address these needs or what trade could be available? Thanks! — Tim D.

Once James Harden officially signs for $33 million this season, the Sixers are about $3.5 million under the Apron that they activated by signing Tucker and House Jr. at the start of free agency. They can never add more than that $3.5 million for this entire league year for any reason unless other money comes off the books. The Apron is a hard cap.

After Harden signs, the Sixers will have 16 players on the roster, not including the two-way contracts. That is one too many by the time the regular season starts. Some of the players toward the bottom of that list do not have fully guaranteed contracts if some salary needs to be shed.

I’m not sure I agree with either of your pressing needs but that might leave enough for a backup center (who will cost the minimum). The problem is there aren’t many of them left. It’s certainly not enough for a sixth-man player, who would have to be acquired via trade.

Which Eastern Conference team could benefit the most, as far as championship aspirations go, by acquiring KD? It feels to me like the Sixers and everyone else is fighting for second if Boston gets him? What do you think? — Stephen P.

Where should we be rooting for Kevin Durant to end up? Looks like the Suns are out, the Lakers never had a chance and right now the Celtics (Ugh!) are the favorites. — Mark S.

If we’re talking “most to gain,” I don’t believe Boston would top my list because it was in the NBA Finals a season ago and already added to the roster this offseason. Their starting point is higher than the other East teams reportedly in the running for Durant with a longer runway due to the age of their two star wings.

I don’t see what Miami can trade that would entice Brooklyn and keep their core intact, but they would be next. Toronto has the most to gain because of its starting point. Unless Scottie Barnes makes a remarkable leap next season, the Sixers showed some of the Raptors’ offensive limitations in a postseason series. Who is creating consistently in the half court for that group and who is stretching the floor? Considering Kevin Durant does those two things in concert better than any player in the league, they would firmly enter the contender conversation. Durant would even fit into the Raptors’ “we only want to play long, athletic wings” ethos.

It’s hard to essentially guarantee a championship like Durant essentially did a few seasons ago, but I agree that Boston would be the clear favorites in the East if the Nets settled for a package of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and however many picks. So, to answer Mark’s question, I think the Sixers (a team that is firmly on a win-now timeline) should be rooting for any outcome outside of Boston.

Being greedy with two questions: 1. How often do you think Doc will go to a small-ball lineup this season with P.J. or even Niang at the 5 spot? And how often do you think he should? Reports last offseason said he tried to sell Ben on getting more playing time with Niang as a small-ball 5, but it rarely ever happened (possibly because they didn’t have Ben’s size to rely on).

2. Of the returning bench guys (Milton, Niang, Korkmaz, Thybulle), rank them in terms of who’s most likely to carve out a role in the rotation this season. — Jacky T.

When it comes to coaching decisions and rotations, that first question might be the one I’m most looking forward to being answered this season. It’s a matter of roster construction. Paul Reed and Charles Bassey are the current backup centers, and unlike Andre Drummond and Dwight Howard, they are both relatively unproven as NBA rotation players. And in Tucker, the Sixers have a player who possesses successful experience playing the 5 in switch-everything lineups alongside Harden.

I could envision a backup unit consisting of Tucker, Harris, Harden and two of Thybulle, House Jr. and Melton. That is something I expect Rivers and the coaching staff to tinker with, gauging its viability in regular-season moments in preparation for the playoffs. But Tucker is 37 years old and the Sixers have two more centers on the roster who should be able to eat up non-Embiid minutes — The small-ball switching stuff should be viable with Reed at center and four of the players listed above, for instance — so it’s likelier to be something we see in doses in the regular season.

Tucker, Melton and House Jr. have made getting minutes more difficult for Niang, Milton and Thybulle. That is a good thing for the Sixers’ depth, and I think this is a situation where training camp and early-season games might tell how this shakes out. Milton probably has the best chance of sticking in a playoff series and likely will get a chance to play, but truthfully, all three players should get their chances in the regular season at their spots as injuries and rest days add up.

How would you power rank the four major teams in Philly right now? — Kyle O.

This will be my one Philly sports offseason question. I’ll go, in descending order: Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, Flyers.

As I wrote last week, there is a legitimate case that this will be the best Sixers team of the Embiid era. Does that mean they’re as good as Boston and Milwaukee? Not necessarily, and that will be something we will find out during the season. I’m high on the Eagles this season, and it feels like they have a chance to take over the top spot. After an excellent offseason, this sure feels like one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. We will find out about Jalen Hurts this season, but even if he struggles, they have enough draft ammo to pivot.

Nothing comes easy for the Phillies. The top players (Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Bryce Harper) are excellent but the organization’s inability to draft and build depth continues to hold them back. Hopefully, Harper comes back soon and we can at least get some October baseball for the first time in a decade. And it seems like the Flyers are dead set on making their fans sad. I do not want any Union fans mad at me, so I will mention that they are in first place and seem to have things rolling over the past few years.

More to come later this week. Thanks for all the great questions.

(Photo of Tobias Harris: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)